


With or Without You

by Kirininobu



Series: Our Happy Ending [2]
Category: Underfell - Fandom, Underswap - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dreamtale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Errortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Inktale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Dreamtale Nightmare Sans (Undertale), Dreamtale Sans | Dream (Undertale), Errortale Sans (Undertale), F/F, Inktale Sans (Undertale), M/M, Mentioned Main Characters, Protective Papyrus (Undertale), Sans (Undertale) Remembers Resets, Side Story, Suffering, Trauma, Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale), Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, star sanses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23963533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirininobu/pseuds/Kirininobu
Summary: When Papyrus disappears, Sans is determined to bring him back. Unfortunately, he's a few universes off, but these new friends are more than willing to help - if he does them a favor. Sans is fine with it, anything for a way out. He thought he'd just deal with the problem and leave, but now he finds himself caring for these strange monsters. He already has his own issues, and now he has to shoulder some stranger's issues as well - but he's not a stranger, is he?Weekly updates! Hopefully!
Relationships: Papyrus & Sans (Undertale), Papyrus/Papyrus (Undertale)
Series: Our Happy Ending [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1231862
Comments: 12
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read We Don't Deserve a Happy Ending, I recommend you do either before or after this one! The other one is finished, though! About to be, at least. 
> 
> I'll start the sequel right after, but there won't be any updates for a while!

Sans woke up to the sun shining on his skull. He scrunched his nasal bone groaning and turned away. Downstairs he could hear humming and the clanging of pots from his brother, Papyrus. He sighed and eventually got up, put on something 'acceptable', then took a shortcut to the dining table and said good morning. This startled Papyrus who turned around and crossed his arms. "SANS, YOU LAZYBONES!" Papyrus exclaimed, "IT'S THREE O' CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON!"

"oh. my bad. good _afternoon_." Sans was still tired, give him some credit. Papyrus simply stared and turned around to resume cooking. Sans chuckled. 

Ever since they got to the surface, it hasn't been easy. The humans took the news well enough. Some people oppose monsters though. The monsters were temporarily restricted by a wall of soldiers in a sectioned off part of the mountain. They won't be able to leave until monsters have full citizenship. The monsters were disappointed but were grateful to at least see the sky for the first time in a long time. Luckily, two months later the monsters were granted citizenship. Pap became the mascot for monsters. He was pretty good at it too. Every monster loved him or learned to love him for his goofy attitude and beaming smile. Papyrus was sad that the royal guard disbanded, but Undyne was happy to keep training him. It was not something helpful in everyday life, so he decided to turn to cooking. He begged Grillby to teach him to cook. Grillby agreed without hesitation. Papyrus was a fast learner and became one of the best chefs in monster kind in only 5 months. Sans was very proud of him. Toriel became a teacher at a school and taught Monster History. Frisk had agreed to become the Ambassador of Monsters, only once they were old enough. One day, the topic of Frisk's biological parents came up. It was solved without any problems thankfully. Undyne helped other monsters settle in or became Frisk's personal bodyguard. Alphys worked on moving the Core's energy to the surface along with Sans. It was a success and the monsters had electricity. Sans started to work on other things too and is now also a teacher at a high school for Soul Biology. 

Papyrus finished cooking and set the plate in front of Sans. It was lasagna. Sans grinned and thanked his brother then dug in. When they finished Sans took Papyrus' arm and teleported them to Undyne and Alphys' house. Sans went inside and had a nice chat with Alphys. They talked about multiple things and soon decided to watch a movie. Three hours later, Undyne and Papyrus came back from their training. Papyrus greeted them both while Undyne sat next to her girlfriend and snuggled her. Sans chuckled at the cute display and turned to Papyrus. "hey pap. how was training?"

"IT WAS GREAT! I LASTED LONGER THIS TIME AND I ALMOST TOOK UNDYNE DOWN!" Undyne grunted an agreement. Sans nodded and made room for his brother to sit. After watching some anime with the couple they left to their house. When they arrived, Toriel and Frisk were there walking to the door. Toriel heard them and turned around with a smile. She greeted them both and asked if they could watch over Frisk due to a meeting she needs to attend. "sure thing tori. we have nothing better to do anyway." Sans shrugged. As they all settled down in the house, Papyrus stated that he needed to wash up. A little while after Papyrus left, Frisk asked Sans to talk in private. Sans shrugged and agreed and headed to the kitchen. "Sans... remember when I proved to you how I was a 'time traveler' and you gave me the key to your room?" Sans nodded and chuckled. "I found a key in one of your drawers which led to the back of the house." 

"huh. I was wondering where that went," Sans smirked. "what about it?"

"I found some papers and a big machine covered with a sheet. I was wondering why you have a machine in the secret lab?" Frisk asked. 

"that machine is something i've been working on before you even arrived. i still work on it but... every time i do, it resets anyway and i lose my progress." Sans replied while looking away. 

"Well... now that I won't reset anymore... are you going to work on it?"

"we'll see. i'm going to wait a bit, just in case you _get bored again._ "

Sans glared at Frisk. They looked down in guilt. They whispered an apology. Sans sighed. "c'mon kid, let's go before papyrus comes barging in." Sans and Frisk exited to see Papyrus sitting down onto the couch. The rest of the night was filled with happy chatter and puzzle pieces flying everywhere. "SANS! STOP MESSING UP THE PUZZLE!" Sans started laughing uncontrollably. Frisk, stayed quiet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uh oh

In the span of three months, Sans slaved over the machine to get it working again. Papyrus was proud in the beginning, but now Sans is spending _way_ too much time on the machine. Papyrus had to drag Sans away most days to get him to eat something. Papyrus always asked Sans about the progress on the machine and Sans would gladly answer. And now, the machine is complete. All Sans needed to do now was find someone who could try the machine for him. He entered a random code, and didn't write it down, which was 31041134, and sent in a couple of items. He sent an apple, a wooden block, a jacket, and a special gelatin humans used to represent skin. Sans decided to name the machine 'The Ursik Void' for some reason. Somewhere deep in his skull, he knew he should name it that. It was like a voice begged him too. Huh, weird. In the meantime, Sans took a break from any engineering and focused on Soul Biology. 

Today was Sunday. The only day of the week where there was no school. The lazy skeleton decided to bring Frisk over to Grillby's. It was a beautiful day outside. Sans and Frisk walked over to Grillby's for once due to Frisk's insistence. He listened to them talk about the multiple subjects they have at school.

When they arrived Frisk's smile grew and they slipped up to the door and opened it for Sans while signing 'ladies first'. He chuckled while shaking his skull and bonked their head on the way. Sans walked their signature spot and teleported onto the seat. Frisk struggled and scrambled to get onto their own seat next to him. Sans chuckled and grabbed their arm to drag them on. Grillby came over once they settled on. 

"'What would you like to order?' Grillby asked." Stated the bird monster a few seats away.

"i'll have the usual." Sans shrugged. 

'One side of fries, please!' Frisk bounced in their seat. Grillby nodded and went to the side door. In the distance, Sans could hear that birds are singing. Sans and Frisk continued to talk about their week as Grillby set down their orders. Sans took a sip from his ketchup bottle and nodded to what Frisk had said. He looked outside to find that the dead patch of flowers have grown new buds now that it is spring. The flowers have started to bloom. There were human and monster children running around outside, spreading joyful laughter into the air. On days like these. . . Sans' smile lowered at the edges. He suddenly had a bad feeling. Grillby came over to the two shorties.

"'I have a bad feeling...' Grillby stated, 'Could you have someone check on Papyrus?'" Said the bird monster. Sans chuckled nervously. 

"i was about to check on him too." Frisk handed Sans their phone. (Sans never charges his own phone. Lazybones) Sans entered his brother's phone number and snickered at his caller ID. 'Vertebae ❤️'. He called and waited. It... went to voicemail. Sans' soul dropped. He _always_ picks up the phone, no matter _what_ he was doing. Sans tried two more times before calling someone to check on him. Toriel was at a meeting, and Undyne took Alphys out for a date... Sans just doesn't trust Mettaton to even do him a favor... that only leaves Asgore. He called Asgore and he agreed to check on Papyrus. They hung up and Sans relaxed. Frisk looked worried, and Sans eased their worries saying that Asgore will check on him. An hour later there was still no message from Papyrus nor Asgore. They both grew worried once more when someone slammed the door open at Grillby's. The bar fell silent as they glanced at the man who barged in. It was Asgore, who was panting. He appeared to have run all the way here. Sans sat up from his normal lazy slouch. He could feel his soul thumping in his chest, increasing in speed and intensity. Finally, Asgore called out-

"Sans! Something happened to Papyrus!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants to ask me or the crew something, or maybe even just request a Drabble/one shot, feel free to ask/message me on my Tumblr!
> 
> http://kirininobu.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sans isn't as smart as he thinks he is

Time appeared to have stopped. Literally. Sans got up from the stool he was previously relaxing on and went to Asgore, dodging a frozen and tense Dogaressa and stopping next to the table of former Royal Guards. _heh. loyal guards._ Asgore glanced around anxiously, but he didn't appear surprised. He looked at the shorter skeleton. Sans' eye sockets were blacked out. "w h a t. h a p p e n e d ." 

"I arrived at your house and searched for your brother... I could not find him inside and heard a commotion at the back. I entered the room that was in the back and saw Papyrus in a machine!" Asgore stated. Sans' eye lights returned and they were scanning Asgore for... something. "When I got to the machine Papyrus was not inside anymore." Sans stepped to the side and leaned on the table beside him. He looked down and sighed, lifting his hand, and snapping his fingers. Time resumed and the bar was reanimated once again. Some humans inside looked around in panic but eventually calmed down when Grillby explained what had happened. The frozen time zone was normal when Sans was around. Frisk walked over and tugged on Sans' sleeve, but he was too distracted to react.

(Sans, what happened?) Dogaressa asked, putting her paw on his shoulder. Asgore looked at Sans, wondering if he should say anything. Sans nodded and Asgore explained to the Royal Guards. When he finished, the guard dogs assured Sans that they'd look for his brother and left. Sans sighed and brought Frisk to their house since Toriel was still there. Toriel and Frisk joined the search team along with Undyne, Alphys, and Mettaton. Sans went back to the machine. He'll just use the machine to be brought to Papyrus and teleport that. Easy. Except... some numbers appear to be missing. Of course. Sans wanted to kill himself over something so stupid. When he put in the code he wondered if he should write it down... but didn't because he thought it wasn't important. 

At the end of the day, there was no progress. Toriel walked up to Sans. "I had attempted to contact your brother. He- someone, picked up but all that I could hear was static. I... am not sure if that bit of information is helpful to you..." Sans shook his head and looked up to Toriel and smiled. 

"nah. it is actually more helpful than you think." Toriel smiled back. "welp. I need ta check on somethin'. see ya." Toriel stared at the spot Sans was original in surprise. She sighed and shook her head. 

"I should not be surprised by these skeletons anymore." She walked back home with Frisk and wished Sans good luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants to ask me or the crew something, or maybe even just request a Drabble/one shot, feel free to ask/message me on my Tumblr!
> 
> http://kirininobu.tumblr.com/


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new challenger?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'll admit it, I'm still not done quite yet but! Hopefully! I will be soon!!
> 
> Anyway, it's nice to be back again uwu

There has been no progress, and if Sans hears another sympathetic phrase he’ll literally just break down on the spot. No one wants to see that. It ain’t pretty. The only other option was to go back to the machine, and that’s where he found himself - staring blankly at it as he wondered where to begin. The numbers blinked before him, taunting him for not writing down the coordinates before. He cursed his laziness before he took out a notebook and wrote down combinations that looked familiar enough. He crossed out what felt like  _ thousands  _ of numbers until he eventually lowered the options down enough to choose. 

31057927

31049502

31042245

31034567

31032234

31041143

He flopped onto the ground in relief. That last one seemed very  _ very  _ familiar, it must be the right one. He blipped into his room to gather what he might need. Food, clothes, extra magic… Papyrus would be proud to see him this motivated to move.  _ Fuck no stop.  _ He put them into his inventory and took his phone just in case.

He took a sticky note and quickly wrote out a brief letter:

**i think i found him. i’m going to look for him. the code is 31041143. if i’m not back in 7 days, please activate the machine again. input the code and hit the button i labeled. thank you. i’ll be back.**

Now it’s the moment of truth. Sans took a deep breath in and hit the button before he blipped into the machine. It rumbled and the small room made the sounds echo even louder until everything turned 

w h i t e. 

…

When he came to, he found himself slumped at the bottom of the machine. It was dirty and dusty, now that he was more coherent. He sat up drowsily, seeing darkness all around. He stood and pushed open the door and coughed at the sudden blow of dust and mold. At least he knew it was normal dust… The room was dark, but not necessarily empty. He felt along the wall and came across a light switch that he flipped. The lights flickered on, one bulb bursting in the meantime. It was… the true lab. Why was he brought here? Looking around nearly gave him the monster equivalent of a heart attack. A large, animal skull looking machine was hooked with wires leading into the ceiling.  _ The DT extractor…  _ Sans didn’t know why, but he felt like it was…  _ different.  _ He gathered up his magic and attempted a shortcut, only for nothing to happen. His magic must be pretty low, he should find a place to rest up until he’s better. Pulling out some Sea Tea, he moved on - missing the fact that the machine was a more green color than red. 

Traversing through the lab, he tried to remember the way out. He walked in circles until he realized that it felt like the lab was… switched? He tested his theory by going the opposite direction, and there he found the elevator up. He sighed in relief and boarded, surprised when it worked perfectly. He expected it to at least stall a bit, but three months isn’t  _ that  _ long, now that he thinks about it. He buried his hands in his pockets as a weird chill washed over him. Must be from the emptiness… or something. He felt like something was wrong, though… 

The elevator dinged to announce his arrival and he stepped out. The labs were dark, but he was able to see due to the light coming from one of Alphys’ computer screens. He nearly walked past, but he froze when he saw what it was trained on. He moved side-to-side, the screen mirroring his moves. 

“...huh.” Maybe Alphys set the screen to follow anything that moves? Yeah, he’ll go with that. He hesitantly looked away and the door for the exit shot up to reveal royal guards standing there, waiting. “uh... woah, wait!” The rabbit monsters tied something around his sockets and bound him, knocking him to the floor. He let out a wheeze and the monsters used this opportunity to stuff a gag into his mouth. They lifted him up and carried him away to who-knows-where. He struggled before falling limp, still tired from the trip. Why was he so damn tired?! Maybe he should have trained with Undyne after all…

…

It felt like hours until the little parade stopped. Sans couldn’t quite make out what was being said, it was starting to feel like his skull was stuffed with cotton. The march continued for a few more minutes, the steps resonated in the room. Eventually, he felt uneasy before his soul settled down again. He wanted to see what was happening, he hated this, but wherever he was started to smell faintly like golden flower tea. They finally set him down and he thinks he hears most of them leave. It was hard to miss the loud clanking of metal on the tile. 

“Shall I call the Judge?” A shuffle of clothing sounded, and the woman swiftly left the room. A judge? But who could the judge be but himself? Not that many knew, but he’s sure something  _ fishy  _ is going on here. He sat in silence, his shaky breathing the only sound until the door opened once again - and soft clicks came from hard-soled shoes. They stopped in front of him.

“This is him?” Sans guessed that the other monster nodded. Ice cold air surrounded him, he knew what this was - judgment. The Judge made a confused noise before reaching forward. The blindfold was yanked off to reveal a skeleton, hardly any taller than he was. A grey and blue ensemble leading up to a soft blue bandanna, matching the softly glowing baby blue pupils. What the  _ fuck.  _

  
  


*SANS - 8 ATK 2 DEF

LV 1 EXP 0

*A copy…?

*Just as confused as you are.

  
  


Sans, the other one, took off his gag. He mumbled a ‘thank you’ as the other moved on to the rope around his wrists and ankles. Looking up, he froze at the sight of Undyne, but she neither dressed or acted like her. She wore big glasses and a lab coat over a black and a white polka dot dress, her back hunched over as she wrung her fingers and wouldn’t look Sans in the eye. She was acting like… Oh, he’s done. He looked back to see the other skeleton staring right into his pupils. It was obvious they were looking for an explanation, and there was really only one that made somewhat sense. He nervously chuckled. 

“you ever hear about the multiverse theory…?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The code for Underfell is 31041134
> 
> The code for Underswap is 31041143
> 
> Very easy to mix up, if you only have three digits to go off of.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sansy got sick on his first day :(

The river person simply stared ahead, never turning and eerily still. Sans felt a prickling along his back, and yet the other Sans happily hopped onto the boat, motioning him to follow. Sans hesitantly stepped on as he told them their destination. Still not moving a muscle, the boat began to ride on its own, startling Sans. The other chuckled, and Sans was once again reminded slightly of his…  _ brother! _ Right, that’s why he’s here!

“uh, hey, you have a papyrus too, right?” The bright skeleton nodded, “have you seen someone like him around? he’s pretty eccentric - hard to miss, really.” The other Sans hummed thoughtfully as he tapped his chin - Sans was still startled at how different this skeleton acted now than he did before. Finally, he shook his head to Sans’ disappointment. 

“NOPE! YOU’RE… YOU’RE THE FIRST _! _ ” Sans would have questioned his hesitance if he wasn’t so nauseous. He’s usually fine on boats… 

“is there anything i can call you besides ‘other me’? it’s gettin’ a bit tiring now…” 

“YOU CAN JUST CALL ME BLUE, THAT’S WHAT MY FRIENDS CALL ME!” Sans nodded and smiled back tiredly when Blue introduced himself with a bright grin. This caused Blue to look a bit concerned, which Sans didn’t understand. “ARE YOU OK, THOUGH? YOU LOOK A BIT SICK…” Sans waved off his worries with an ‘eh…’. He felt a bit lightheaded, but he’s probably just tired. In any case...

“do you have a kid going through the underground, too? a human named frisk?”

“YES, WE DO, ACTUALLY! THEY SHOULD BE IN WATERFALL, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT…” 

“do ya think you can take me to ‘em?” 

“UH… YEAH! IF… YOU’RE FEELING UP TO IT?” Sans only nodded, and Blue redirected the Riverperson to Waterfall instead. They arrived there in no time and Blue helped Sans off the boat when he saw how shaky he was standing. They went through a few hallways and rooms until they finally came across an Aaron, singing his praises shyly of a kind human giving them confidence in his singing and his muscles. He then guided them to a dark hall that showed the castle in the distance. A figure was seen in the distance heading back at a leisurely pace before speeding up to stop before Blue - who at this point was being Sans’ crutch. 

Blue said Frisk was going through the underground, but looking at them now, Sans could tell that they were  _ not  _ the Frisk he knew. From the bright green sweater with yellow stripes, to the rosy red cheeks, to the cheerful expression - they were both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Sans could have sworn he’s seen them before… He’d probably know where if he had a clearer skull, heh. Blue was explaining the situation to the human, but Sans didn’t focus. He tried to search for a recollection of who they were, and he remembered. Unfortunately, he passed out along the way as well, the shouts of worry distant as he thought -

_ Oh, right… they were Tori’s kid centuries ago, weren’t they? _

…

Wherever he was, it was comfortable. He felt warm, and the smell of pastries and cleaning supplies was in the air. He sighed and snuggled deeper into the duvet, going back to sleep. Tried to, at least - someone was insistently shaking him.

“five more minutes, paps…” He heard a slight giggle before the pushing became shoving. He let them be until he wound up on the floor, staring up into a mischievous face. They moved away as he sat up and rubbed his skull, noticing how his head felt a lot clearer than before. 

“Sans told me to tell you that the food’s ready!” The kid exclaimed, and Sans really wanted to go back to bed, until-

“wait- how long was i out?” They hummed and tapped their chin thoughtfully, much like what Blue does. 

“Only about 13 hours _. _ ” Sans sighed. He had thought he slept weeks with how well-rested he was. Now that he thought about it, he was having a really nice dream too… If only he could remember it… “Are you gonna come down?” Sans waved them off as he rubbed the sleep away. They skipped out the open bedroom door, the light filtering through revealed where he was. With his adjusted sight, he saw he was sitting between a table and a rocketship bed. The table had a lamp and a few scattered books about quantum physics - or were they joke books? This room didn’t have a bookcase, so it wasn’t exactly like his brother’s room. A computer with a desk was shoved against the corner and partially blocked the only window - wasn’t this what his room was underground? It must have been, his - Blue’s - treadmill was across the room’s computer. He went to leave and nearly tripped over the pile of sticky notes by the door. They were on and around a lone sock, reminding him of his own home. 

_ pick up your sock bro _

_ OKAY! _

_ it’s still here _

_ I KNOW!! WHY ARE YOU GOING INTO MY ROOM ANYWAY?? _

_ still here bro _

_ IF IT BOTHERS YOU SO MUCH THEN WHY DON’T YOU PICK IT UP!? _

_ it’s not my sock _

_ YOU’RE INSUFFERABLE _

_ love you too xoxo _

_ ... _ heh. Some things never change. He was right, it seems like Blue took his room while his brother took the master bedroom - does that make sense? Maybe he  _ is  _ still sick… Downstairs was similar to his own house, but everything was on the opposite side now. Bizarre, but it wasn’t a surprise to him. Everything was swapped, from people to even houses. He wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of the underground’s layout was switched too. Sans could hear sizzling coming from where he guessed the kitchen is, and looking down the banister showed an orange lump on the couch below being pushed by… Frisk? Sans would usually be reeling from this discovery, but he’s being oddly calm. 

Walking down the stairs, he went up to the lump and observed the two quietly. The ‘lump’ was just a skeleton wearing a blindingly orange hoodie, the hood pulled up and tightened around the skull. He chuckled and sat next to them and relaxed, waiting for the skeleton to give up. After only a minute, he heard a light chuckle and the mystery skeleton pulled the hood down. Sans’ suspicions were right, they were Papyrus.  _ A  _ Papyrus, at least. He watched with a barely open socket, analyzing the way the Papyrus interacted with the kid. They waved the human away with a chuckle and Frisk obeyed, running to bother Blue instead. They then turned to Sans, and he braced for whatever will happen now. If his theory is correct…

“sup, sans right? name’s papyrus, call me honey,” Sans raised a ridge in question, “heh, yeah, ‘m named after my favorite beverage.” Honey winked lazily. Sans chuckled, imagining himself named Ketchup of all things. 

“nice ta meet ya, honey. i’m guessing your brother explained everything, judgin’ by the fact ‘m not being questioned right now.” Honey nodded and relaxed further, a not-exactly-comfortable silence settling over them. He pulled a lollipop out of nowhere and stuck it in his mouth, moving it around every-once-in-a-while. Sans had a feeling Honey didn’t talk much… Fortunately, Blue finished cooking whatever it was. He skipped into the living room and placed down a plate… tacos? Sans sat up to observe further while Honey ruffled Frisk’s hair. 

“I MADE FRIENDSHIP TACOS!! I HOPE YOU ENJOY, OTHER ME _! _ ” Blue seemed nervous as Sans rose a shell up to bite. Sans sniffed it a bit, realizing that it smelled  _ heavenly and he was so fucking starving.  _ The tacos were amazing, and he quickly finished his first one and moved to the next. The others laughed at his hunger before digging in as well. The questions can wait for another hour...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my opinion the ‘bad guy’ in Undertale are the players themselves - depending on the route they take. They were the ones controlling Frisk, and because of the murders, they fueled Chara and turned them into a demon. (Yes, players are very important to the story~) Hence why Sans didn’t automatically see Chara as the child who murdered his species :) They are merely the deceased child of the Dreemurr family.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Sans will remember that_

Dinner was quiet, everyone was busy either eating or thinking. Sans felt like he was intruding - something he hasn’t felt in a while - but he was too hungry to care. Chara, being the child they were, got restless and asked to play outside. By then everyone was finished and followed them outside - after they were bundled up of course. Sans sat on the porch, and Blue stayed with him. Sans had thought he’d be playing with Chara, not Honey, but maybe this world isn’t as straightforward as he thought… 

“so, you really haven’t seen another papyrus?” Blue sadly shook his head. “hm... i guess i’ll have to find a way back then.” Thinking about the work he’ll have to do again made him groan in agony. 

“MWEH… MAYBE I CAN CONVINCE UNDYNE TO HELP YOU REPAIR THE MACHINE!” Sans watched Blue from the corner of his socket.

“that’s cool, ‘cept i never mentioned a machine.” Blue watched the two play and answered.

“YOU DELIRIOUSLY TOLD ME ABOUT IT WHEN I WAS BRINGING YOU HERE.” Sans hummed, deciding to pretend that he believed it when he didn’t notice anything giving away otherwise. “HOWEVER, I  _ DO  _ NEED SOMETHING FROM YOU.” Ah, there it is. 

“and that is…?” Blue shifted in place. 

“CAN I ASK YOU TO… HELP US FIND A WAY TO BREAK THE BARRIER  _ P- WITHOUT  _ HARMING CHARA?” 

“uh… can’t promise it’ll be fast but i can do that when i’m free.” Blue sighed. 

“THANK YOU… THAT IS ALL I CAN REALLY ASK FOR.” They watched the Chara run around for a little while longer until Sans decided to break the silence. 

“can i ask a few questions? if it’s too personal you don’t have to answer.” 

“SURE, GO AHEAD!” Sans was quiet for a bit, contemplating what to ask first to set apart the differences between the two universes. He came to a solution, one that could possibly explain why, but he was hesitant to ask. However, he couldn’t think of a better alternative at the time. 

“do… you know a gaster?” Blue appeared to freeze at the name.

”...NO, I DON’T. IT SOUNDS VERY FAMILIAR, THOUGH… I THINK WHEN I WAS YOUNGER MY BROTHER WOULD ASK ME IF I HAD SEEN THEM LIKE THEY WERE SOMEONE I WAS SUPPOSED TO  _ KNOW _ OR SOMETHING… BUT THEN AGAIN…” Sans hummed in acknowledgment and didn’t press anymore, waiting patiently for Blue to continue on his own. “WELL… I HAVE A FEELING THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR YOU, BUT… I COMPLETELY FORGOT THE FIRST 17 YEARS OF MY LIFE.” That was new. Sans sat up and looked to Blue in confusion, but he was completely serious. 

“ _ 17 years _ ? seriously?”

“YEP! 17 YEARS JUST, BLIP! GONE!” Blue nervously smiled at him but seeing his expression made it falter. He sighed and seemed to curl in slightly, looking even smaller. “He’s overprotective because he’s already lost his brother twice… he doesn’t want to lose him again.” Sans narrowed his sockets at the word ‘twice’... but he’s already asked too many questions. He let it slide this time. 

Blue looked off into the distance, where Stretch and Chara were playing. “He thinks he failed. Failed me… failed everyone. But he didn’t, and I wish he could see that - there was nothing he could have done to prevent it anyway _ , _ ” He sighed wearily, “ _. _ ..Sorry for unloading on you, Sans. I… haven’t had anyone to really  _ talk  _ to _. _ ”

“no one? not even a friend?” Blue gave a dry laugh. 

“If I told my brother what I felt and went through, I’d only make him feel worse; make him feel like it’s his fault. Alphys… I’m not even sure if I can call her a friend. I feel like I’m more of a burden than anything to her…” Blue shook his head at Sans when he tried to interrupt and continued, “Maybe not, but I don’t need any more pity from someone who’s already seen my episodes. My other friends, well. They deal with  _ far  _ worse stuff than me daily. I just don’t think my situation is something important enough that I have to talk to them.” Before he could continue, Sans put his hands on his shoulders and turned him to face Sans. 

“blue. this is important.  _ you  _ are important. if your friends see you that way, they’d listen - no matter how small of a problem it is.” Sans let go of his shoulders and slumped a bit, “look, i know you probably don’t trust me as much as your other friends. we did just meet, after all. but please take my advice and speak to them, ok? anyone. you’ll feel a lot better.” Seeing how serious the jokester got, Blue knew he had no choice but to obey. He smiled and thanked him sincerely before standing. 

“I’m… going back in. I’ll talk to them when they’re available. Satisfied?” 

“heh. very.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has a Bad Time™ (aka Sans gets more exercise in ten minutes than he has ever had in ten years)

Almost 5 months have passed, longer than he thought he’d be staying. As time went by he worked more and more, slowly becoming desperate as he tried to go back home as soon as possible. Working on the machine by day, slaving over research by night. Too much time had passed, he didn’t know if his brother was back home or not - he didn’t know what was happening, and he was terrified. 

However, that didn’t mean everything was terrible. Blue and Honey were wonderful company, and Chara was too when they’d sleepover. Sans had asked where they went between slumber parties, and Blue told him about how Asgore was the one in the Ruins. That prompted a whole session of questions, which Blue answered happily. 

_ How did you learn about Asgore? _

_ CHARA INTRODUCED US TO HIM A WHILE AGO! IT WAS A PRETTY BIG SHOCK TO FIND OUT THAT THE KEEPER OF THE RUINS WAS THE EX-KING!!  _

_ Why haven’t you broken the barrier yet? _

_ WE’VE TRIED BEFORE, BUT THEN SOMETHING CAME UP AND WE… HAD TO POSTPONE. WE’RE NOT SURE OF THE REASON, SO ASKING MORE ABOUT IT WON’T GET YOU ANYWHERE. _

_ Does the Queen know of them? _

_ YES, SHE DOES! UNFORTUNATELY, SHE CAN’T SPEND MUCH TIME WITH THEM, ASGORE IS STILL PRETTY PROTECTIVE, BUT EVERYONE CAN SEE THAT THE TWO ARE GETTING CLOSER! _

That was as much as he was gonna get out of Blue, and answers from Honey only revealed the same - if a bit less. Whether it was because he was lazy or didn’t know the answers weren’t known… but Sans had more stuff to worry about - involving a certain aquatic monster.

Undyne was… something. The same boisterous friend just… more subdued and  _ sciency.  _ Not a bad thing, just very…  _ trippy _ . When he first met her, it was to get her to help him with the machine and to check out said machine - which was a success. She agreed easily enough, as long as Sans told her about his universe. Not a bad deal, all he has to do is sit and talk - his two favorite time-passers. She also allowed Sans full accessibility to the lab for the research about the barrier, which made sense. Sans was sure she wanted to leave the underground  _ just  _ as much as everyone else did. 

The machine wasn’t  _ too  _ bad, but it was still going to take longer than his own. Undyne’s help was very much needed, but at least Sans can  _ probably  _ fix it in another month or so. If only he could call someone in his universe to tell them he was okay… unfortunately, his phone was smashed to pieces and he never bothered to memorize any phone numbers - the same problem that led him here… He should work on that. 

That was before, though - now he had a brand new phone with the required contacts. He fiddled with the buttons for a bit on his trek through Waterfall as he thought, he wasn’t in a rush to get home. Eventually, he decided that he spent enough time wandering, so he turned around and called up his magic to teleport, and - what the  _ fuck  _ is that. 

‘That’ was a giant, shapeless mass of black… goo? Piercing white eyes staring straight into his soul, and it felt like everything stopped as Sans had a staredown with this…  _ beast.  _ Moments passed before it gave a horrifying screech and lunged at the frozen skeleton. He blipped away just in time, breathing heavily in fear. It was  _ fast as hell _ , he needed to go home - but would it follow? The answer to that was yes, yes it would. That became frighteningly apparent when the same creature turned the corner at a horrifying speed, and Sans knew he couldn’t bring it to a  _ town.  _

He turned and ran like his life depended on it - because it did. Grabbing his phone he called Blue - it rang a few times before going dead. He cursed and teleported away, hiding in the tall grass. The undulating mass appeared again but didn’t spot Sans right away. Sans desperately called Blue again with trembling fingers, only to get the same result. He tried to quiet his rattling and called Honey this time - and went immediately to voicemail. Why the hell is no one picking up?! 

A sudden slam behind him launched him several feet in the air, and he caught sight of the beast from a higher perspective. Yep. Still terrifying. He shortcutted away just as he felt the tall grass tickle his back - stumbling a few hallways away and sprinting. The vibrations he felt from the black mass giving chase was plenty to give him the motivation to run for once in his life. He cursed his laziness when he could feel himself slow down, deciding to try and hide it out until he could recover. Before he could call up his magic, a sudden screech made him turn just in time to dodge flying debris. 

“shit!” He narrowly avoided being flattened by a boulder. Running is very exhausting, especially if you haven’t run in what felt like  _ years.  _ He was starting to hyperventilate, but he kept pushing forward. All too soon he reached a dead end, and the beast was barreling towards him in insane speed. Sans called up the last of his magic and - 

_ Slam! _

The creature was suddenly flattened to the ground in a single hit from a… hammer? Sans couldn’t see enough detail before it vanished, revealing a tired Blue standing over the beast. Blue reached down into the black tar, gripping something, before pulling. It was a soul!? Just what the hell was happening?! 

The soul shuddered but didn’t break, and considering it was a  _ human  _ soul, it made sense. What  _ didn’t  _ make sense was the fact that Blue put it in a jar and just… made it disappear? Put it away? Stars, Sans was too tired for this. He collapsed onto the ground and tried to regain his breath. Blue went up to him and just sat beside him. 

“you’re… an… asshole…” Sans wheezed. 

“YEAH… I KNOW.” 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh Blue, you weren’t supposed to say that

“THAT WAS… WELL, HOW DO I SAY THIS…” Blue rubbed the back of his neck as he thought of a good enough explanation. “THEY’RE CREATURES THAT ATTACK UNIVERSES THAT ARE… STRUGGLING.” 

“struggling? struggling how?” 

“JUST… STRUGGLING? LIKE, NOTHING NEW IS HAPPENING AND NOTHING INTERESTING IS GOING ON?? IF THAT MAKES SENSE???” The blank look Sans had was answered enough. Blue sighed and crossed his arms, looking off to the side in discomfort. “I’M SORRY. I CAN’T TELL YOU MORE THAN THAT, FOR YOUR SAFETY.” Sans sighed as well, disappointed at the lack of clarity. 

“alright, then why was it here? is this universe… uh, struggling?” Blue’s cheekbones flushed a little bit at that. 

“YEAH… THAT WAS MY FAULT, SORRY. IT SOMEHOW GOT AWAY FROM ME LAST MINUTE AND CAME TO THIS UNIVERSE.” Sans stopped walking and glared at Blue. 

“wait, do you mean it came from a  _ different  _ universe? one  _ you  _ were in as well?” 

“UH… NNNO…?” 

“so you’re telling me that you can go to a different universe? why didn’t you tell me? can’t you take me back, then?”

“SANS, CALM DOWN! I COULDN’T TELL YOU BECAUSE I  _ CAN’T  _ TAKE YOU BACK!”

“and why not!?” Sans was starting to get hysterical at this point. 

“BECAUSE IT’S NOT TIME YET! BESIDES, I’M NOT VOLUNTARILY LEAVING TO ANOTHER UNIVERSE, I COULDN’T EVEN IF I WANTED TO!” The next thing Blue knew, Sans was gone. He sighed, already tired of this whole ‘game’. “what are you planning, friend?” 

-

Sans was back at the lab, working hard at the machine, and maybe it wasn’t the greatest idea to do it while angry, but he didn’t care. 

“ow, shit!” Another zap, soon his whole hand will go numb. He grumbled and kept going, ignoring the concerned side glances from his lab partner. 

“Uh… How about we take a break?” Sans grunted, not necessarily listening to anything. Undyne still took it as a yes. “Great! Let’s go!” She grabbed his arm and yanked him away from the machine. For someone who ate ramen three meals a day, she was still pretty strong. She dragged his boney butt to the lunchroom and shoved him into a chair, placing a steaming cup of noodles in front of him. Sans stabbed at the food with the chopsticks, not hungry quite yet. Eventually, Undyne left the room to presumably pick up some materials from the dump. 

Sans sat in silence, moving the noodles left and right. He slowly felt the tension leave his shoulders and his thoughts cleared enough for him to feel guilty. Blue didn’t deserve that, and Sans knew that, but his disappointment was just so  _ heavy  _ that he needed something - or someone - to get angry at. Sans closed his sockets with a grimace. 

The only person he should be angry at is  _ himself. He  _ was the one who fixed the machine, after all. If he hadn’t, Papyrus wouldn’t have… He put his head on his arms, pushing the already cold food away. 

He can only hope that his brother was safe. 

~~~

Honey moved the lollipop to the other side of his mouth as he blankly stared at his brother. 

“sans, i love you, but you’re an idiot.” Blue groaned and fell back into the snow. 

“I KNOW… I DIDN’T EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN, OKAY? NOW SANS HATES ME…” Honey gave a sigh and threw the bare stick away. 

“i’m sure he doesn’t  _ hate  _ you, he’s just upset. give him a day or two and it’ll be back to normal, promise.” Blue looked up at his younger brother with a pitiful look. 

“YOU THINK SO…?” Honey huffed with a smile and knelt to pat Blue’s miserable skull. 

“i know so. after all, who could stay mad at the sansational sans?” Blue grinned and leaped at his brother, knocking them both against the sentry station. 

“THANK YOOOUUU!” Honey accepted his fate and went limp. They wouldn’t be separating anytime soon. 

~~~

As the day ended, Sans dreaded going back to the house. He was, frankly, embarrassed that he had exploded like that. It wasn’t  _ that  _ bad, but his thoughts kept telling him otherwise. He paced a few feet away from the house, mumbling to himself on how he should enter - if at all. Maybe he could just live in the lab? But does he  _ really  _ want ramen every day for every meal…? He didn’t know! 

He has decided. He’ll change his identity, run away from Snowdin, live in the capital, and hide in the labs when he worked! A flawless plan, truly-

“SANS!” Sans choked and spun around.

“pap- oh, uh, hey, honey… wassup?” Honey wheezed and put his hands on his knees, out of breath from running through all of Snowdin in search of a single monster. 

“you… you’re late. everyone was worried.” 

“everyone…?” Honey straightened with a sigh and pulled out his phone. 

“yeah… but i guess i can call off the search party. why don’t you head inside? my brother was more terrified than all of snowdin  _ combined.”  _ With that, Honey turned and left. Sans looked at the front door for a minute longer before going inside. 

“...blue?” 

“SANS!!” 

“oof!” Blue tackled him in a very,  _ very  _ tight hug. “please… let go…” 

“AH, SORRY!” Blue hastily let go but kept his hands on Sans’ shoulders. “I WAS WORRIED SICK! I THOUGHT I MESSED UP!! IF YOU'RE STILL MAD, I UNDERSTAND, BUT  _ PLEASE  _ DON’T SCARE US LIKE THAT!! I’LL TELL YOU THE REASON WHY, I’LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING, JUST DON’T RUN OFF AGAIN!!” Blue started to cry, causing Sans to panic. 

“okay, okay, i won’t! promise!” Another tight hug. Sans sighed and wrapped his arms around his more exuberant counterpart. He knew they wouldn’t be separating any time soon. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story is about to get 10x more complicated... Sorry, Sans.

The dishes were one of the few things Sans did as a thank you for the shelter his counterpart provided. It also, surprisingly, became a nice routine to do whenever he needed to destress. Which he very much needed, considering the conversation he was about to have with Blue in about an hour. He scrubbed harder at one of the plates as he thought back to the ominous warning he had been given. 

“What I am about to tell you is _incredibly_ important, and must forever be kept a secret. You can tell absolutely _no one._ This conversation will reveal the answers of the multiverse - from hidden battles to the deepest darkest secrets of universes. By agreeing to listen, you agree to never disclose this information to anyone - not even to _me,_ because you never know if you are _actually_ talking to me _,_ okay?” That whole spiel was terrifying as hell, but one thing every Sans has in common is their curiosity. Sans can only hope that whatever is said won’t kill him, because he knows he’ll never stop thinking about it if he changed his mind. 

He reached down blindly through the soapy water for more, only to hit the bottom of the sink. Draining it also revealed that it was empty. He sighed and dried his hands as he got to work with the soaked dishes. Anxiety crept up his spine, causing his soul to shudder. The last cup was dried and put away, and he turned to leave the room only to startle at the sight of Blue already waiting for him on the countertop. _Had he been sitting there the whole time??_

“ARE YOU READY?” He asked with a slightly pitying smile. Sans nodded and they left the house. Sans trailed behind Blue, hands clutched in his pockets. _No turning back now._

…

They arrived at an alleyway in New Home, and they stood in front of an out-of-place door. Literally. It wasn’t connected to any walls, not even a roof or a _floor._ The light blue door floated a few inches above the concrete, the frame of it a nice light shade of orange. Blue reached out and grabbed the golden door handle, and hesitated. 

“THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO BACK OUT.” 

“i know.” Blue twisted the knob and pushed. 

What Sans saw was… well, to put it simply, even more mesmerizing than the first time he saw the sun and moon. The doorway showed an endless golden space, with what seemed like _thousands_ of floating islands - each with their own unique design or environment. He was in awe, and Blue had to push him through because he was so star struck. He stepped onto the warm, bioluminescent grass - noticing echo flowers and golden flowers scattered around the island. The island he stood on was much bigger than the others, and interestingly enough had more than one door. 

Blue seemed to look at the other doors with confusion and curiosity as well, but he didn’t mention it. Blue led him to the edge of the island, and just… walked right off. Instead of falling to the void or simply floating, it looked as though he stood on a walkway. Sans, however, started to float behind Blue. He looked back and giggled at his new friend’s startled expression. 

“DON’T WORRY! AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A DESTINATION IN MIND, YOU WILL HAVE GRAVITY! THAT ISLAND OVER THERE,” Blue pointed to another large island, “WE ARE GOING THERE.” When the location was processed in Sans’ bewildered mind, his body was gently set onto whatever mass they stood on.

“...huh. convenient.” They walked in silence, and he took the time to admire the space he was in. 

One island seemed more like a floating rock than anything - and there were floating stars surrounding it with tiny planets revolving around the black door splattered with white specks. 

Another was almost barren, with only a thin layer of something gray on top. Sans decided not to focus on the dust and flicked his view to the next. 

This one was similar to the one he left, the only difference being the glowing red slash going from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. 

The one beside it was close and seemed to exude a powerful aura. The fauna on the rock seemed rotten - dead. Maybe that was what the universe was about… but what kind of universe was _that?_

And finally, he observed the island they were heading to. This one was different from the others. The center of the land was a giant tree, with colorful pastel leaves and flowers covering the branches - and a simple house stood a ways away from it. They stepped onto the island, and Blue silently let him explore. 

The tree was made of paper, the leaves and flowers origami, but when he touched it, it felt firm and rough - sturdy. Strong. A small tap on his slipper drew his gaze to another origami creature - a rabbit, it seems like. More origami animals appeared and fluttered about, providing beautiful scenery. 

“woah…” Blue came up and gently took his hand, leading him to the house that looked nearly identical to his own. The inside, however, was completely different. It was messy, in an organized chaos sort of way, with paper scattered upon every floor of the house. Some had finished masterpieces, some had unfinished sketches, and others were blank. He heard Blue huff and reach down to pick up a few, before immediately giving up. 

“Why do I get the feeling he did this on purpose…?” 

“who’s house is this?” Blue sighed as if regretting everything already. 

“HE IS THE GUARDIAN OF THE MULTIVERSE - AND AN ASSHOLE.” Sans barked out a laugh. “ANYWAY, I SUPPOSE I SHOULD TELL YOU NOW… HERE, SIT DOWN, THIS WILL TAKE A WHILE…”

~

The multiverse is a strange yet beautiful concept. Infinite universes coexisting in an infinite space. In this beloved multiverse, lives millions of universes - with _trillions_ of timelines in each one. 

With so many universes being created and destroyed, there are some… anomalies. Perhaps _many_ anomalies. There is, however, a certain _special_ kind of anomaly. These anomalies are called… **Outcodes.**

Outcodes are creatures who exist _outside_ of a universe and are capable of living without one. These beings can be good, bad, or… neutral. Four main Outcodes keep the balance. 

Ink, the guardian of the multiverse. 

Error, the destroyer of worlds. 

Dream, the guardian of positivity. 

Nightmare, the guardian of negativity. 

Their destinies are intertwined, forever, and always- stuck in a loop of battle, hatred, sorrow... and loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The islands Sans described are - in order - Outertale, Dusttale, Aftertale, and Reapertale.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The multiverse is protected by a soulless asshole, it cannot get worse than that (yes it can)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make the Outcodes as close to canon as possible, but Error's story really effects what will happen later on so unfortunately next chapter the canon stories will change,,, 
> 
> Ink is by
> 
> [Comyet](https://comyet.tumblr.com/)/[Myebi](https://myebi.tumblr.com/)
> 
> ^-^  
> If you want to see Ink's story in comic form, check out
> 
> [His Story!](https://comyet.tumblr.com/post/149044146943/he-had-no-name-nor-did-his-world-he-was-a-rough)

**Long ago, in an unfinished universe, sat a skeleton. Surrounded by a blank white space, he watched the other unfinished characters walk by. He was forever a spectator, for he was the only one capable of feeling.**

**The others wouldn’t even spare him a glance. No matter how much he begged and screamed, he never got an answer.**

**He was alone.**

**One day, something seemed to change in the smaller one.**

**“I don’t want to be forgotten. I don’t want to be left alone. I JUST WANT TO BE SOMEONE!” With those haunting words, he pulled out his soul and tore it apart.**

**He broke free.**

…

…

When he awoke, he felt empty. He was given a second chance, by some unknown power, and yet… he couldn’t remember anything. He had no soul and no purpose. 

He sat there for what felt like an eternity, staring off into the blank space all around him. He felt nothing and didn’t  _ want  _ to feel. All was silent, all was still… almost like he wasn’t there in the first place. 

Abruptly, that stillness was disrupted. A strange shadow formed around him, and he looked up to see… a yellow sky. 

He was flooded with the bright color, and he… felt something akin to joy. Then the color shifted and filled him with disgust, anger, sadness, excitement, envy…

This rainbow bloomed in his empty world, and he felt… he  _ felt…  _ he felt… happy. 

With these feelings, his abilities showed itself. Manipulating the paint to his will, he discovered that he could  _ make  _ things. 

He started with clothes, for one. Then he moved on to a small brush, then a butterfly, then a long scarf that felt familiar. He created a much bigger brush, one that could fit his back so he could make something  _ bigger.  _

Each time the color splashed onto him, he would create more and more. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t last. The paint would eventually fade away and he would be left feeling  _ nothing  _ again. The personality he managed to build faded away to nothing once more. 

He came up with a solution to his problem. Each new wave of color that appeared, he would bottle them in separate glass jars so he could keep feeding on these emotions. 

So he could feel on his own. 

So he could  **pretend** to have a soul. 

…

Once he had control over his powers, he decided to think bigger. He started to change the space around him - building new structures and colors. It had its ups and downs, but he always found a way to persevere. 

He had fun with his powers, not knowing exactly  _ who  _ gave him these powers, but using it to the best of his ability. 

He wasn’t finished with his discoveries… no, of course not. These abilities are practically useless if he was the only one able to marvel at its beauty. Perhaps… he needed to think  **bigger.**

And it seemed like his second chance was willing to open his eyes a second time. 

…

“THE FIRST TIME I MET INK WAS… A BIT ROUGH. I WAS GOING TO MY ROOM TO PUT AWAY A BUCKET OF PAINT WHEN I TRIPPED ON THE DOOR! THE PAINT GOT  _ EVERYWHERE…”  _ Sans chuckled at his disdain.

“that must have been a pain to clean.” 

“THAT’S THE THING! I DIDN’T HAVE TO CLEAN IT UP!! THE PAINT STARTED BUBBLING, LIKE IT WAS BOILING, AND IT WENT UP AND AROUND - EVENTUALLY FORMING INK! THAT’S HOW HE USUALLY TRAVELS BETWEEN UNIVERSES, IF THAT WASN’T CLEAR. WHEN I SAW THAT HAPPENING, I WAS PRETTY TERRIFIED! I HAD  _ NO  _ CLUE WHAT WAS HAPPENING, AND ALL INK SAID WAS ‘You called?’ LIKE, I’M OBVIOUSLY FREAKED OUT?!” Sans cackled. 

“oh, man, that’s hilarious.”

“OH, IT GETS WORSE… I ASKED HIS NAME, AND HE JUST PUKED!! INK!!!” 

“ew??” 

“I KNOW!! HONESTLY, YOU’LL SEE IT  _ AT LEAST  _ ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, SINCE IT HAPPENS WHEN HE FEELS TOO MANY EMOTIONS… ANYWAY, SOON AFTER THAT WHOLE FIASCO, HE JUST… SCOOPED UP?? ALL THE PAINT?? SO I DIDN’T HAVE A MESS!! BUT THEN I HAD NO PAINT… MEH, IT WASN’T  _ THAT  _ BAD… BUT THEN! BUT THEN!! HE HAD THE  _ AUDACITY  _ TO COMMENT ABOUT MY HEIGHT!! NOW, THIS WAS A WHILE AGO SO I  _ WAS  _ PRETTY SHORT BUT STILL!! HOW RUDE!”

“snrk, wow.” Blue huffed and sunk further into the couch cushions. 

“THEN HE TOLD ME HIS NAME, AND WE STARTED TO TELL EACH OTHER ABOUT OURSELVES! HE DIDN’T TELL ME HIS WHOLE LIFE STORY - MOSTLY JUST LITTLE MOMENTS IN UNIVERSES… BUT I LEARNED EVERYTHING SOON ENOUGH. BUT THEN… MY BROTHER CAME INTO THE ROOM. HIS FIRST REACTION WAS TO, WELL, ATTACK… IT’S FORTUNATE THAT INK DOESN’T FEEL PAIN, BUT HE HAD A  _ NASTY  _ CRACK IN HIS SKULL WHEN THAT HAPPENED. AFTER THAT IT WAS A BLUR, BUT IT ENDED WITH ME BEING FRIENDS WITH HIM! AND HONEY TOLERATES HIM!! BARELY!!!” 

“heh, he seems like a riot.” Blue scoffed and rolled his eyes. 

“UGH, HE IS. HE DOESN’T HAVE A FILTER AT ALL…” 

“so basically this guy is our guardian, who we all depend on to not die?” Blue pitifully nodded. “yikes. but then again, if he wasn’t good at his job we wouldn’t be here.”

“THAT IS TRUE! ESPECIALLY FOR ME…” 

“so are you going to explain that or…?” Blue sighed. 

“YES, I WILL…”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Error (Errortale) belongs to CrayonQueen/[loverofpiggies](https://loverofpiggies.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Error's story is relatively the same, but it changes about halfway through Blue’s story, so I’m sorry if you were expecting more… chaotic?? Error???? I’m not sure how to describe it, but Error will still be mostly the same - just a little different :) more fanon than canon I suppose
> 
> Definitely check out the original story if you have the time, though! Most if not all of it is the same up until the point where Error leaves Blue in the Anti-Void :)
> 
> (Yes Error is Geno but that is to be explained at a later chapter)
> 
> And I am contemplating having Blueberror in the story? Unfortunately, he most likely won't make it, but if I see an opportunity I'll add him :)

**He was warned of the consequences. He was told to quit, to cease his curiosity before he became lost, but it was far too late.**

**He experimented with his Determination. He tried to see the limits, the** **_possibilities._ ** **But now, stranded in the Anti-Void, he began to regret his decisions.**

**He** **_just_ ** **got out, he** **_just_ ** **got a family, he** **_just_ ** **became free…! And now he was trapped somewhere once again, with no hope of escape.**

**He was filled with** **_hatred._ ** **He was angry, hateful, regretful…**

**He hated his curiosity, he hated his family for not stopping him sooner, he hated his death, he hated his Determination, he hated** **_everything_ ** **.**

**And that hatred turned him into an Error.**

**His bones blackened, his eyes filled with the bright red of determination as his lights shifted to something more crazed… he was gone. Different. Not himself…**

…

“ERROR HAD… TAKEN ME, AND BROUGHT ME BACK, BUT ONLY TO… FIGHT MY BROTHER. MY SOUL WAS ENSNARED BY HIS STRINGS, AND I COULDN'T CONTROL MYSELF…! I… I had to hurt my brother... he wanted me to  _ kill  _ my brother…! Not only that, but then I learned that Error has  _ killed  _ my friends, almost  _ everyone  _ in my universe…” 

“...” Sans wasn’t quite sure what to say. 

“I was naive… I thought that if I offered to… listen to him, he would spare us. Then he got so  _ mad,  _ and I was lucky enough to be freed when my brother cut the strings. I hid as they fought, like a  _ coward.  _ Just when I thought Error was going to kill Papyrus, he hesitated. He couldn’t kill a Papyrus, not like that. Instead, he… took me to the Anti-Void. I didn’t see my brother for… for a long time. But! Slowly, he warmed up to me! Well, as warmed up as an Error could be…”

“There are these… voices, he hears. He told me they were mere voices, but I always had a feeling it was more than that. But they requested stories, asked questions, sometimes even gave gifts! Most were nice, but some were… not. I was fortunate enough though to watch my first story through Error’s window.”

“Error decided to show me, and his voices, of what happened in the first universe he went to. He had pulled up a window to show it as a movie!  _ Ahem,  _ when he finally escaped the Anti-Void, he thought he was finally free. The color he saw overwhelmed him, and he had to rest. He sat against the large purple door leading to the Ruins, exhausted from everything.”

“‘...heh. I really froze up for a second there.’ Unexpectedly, he heard a voice respond.”

“‘Ice to hear from you again, Sans!’ A soft laugh was heard through the heavy gate. He was confused, but he decided to keep that name, just for a little while. Toriel was the first one he spoke to, so he couldn’t help but keep talking to her. He kept coming back to the door to talk to her, enjoying the ‘normal’ conversations, again and again.”

“One day, however, he made a slight mistake. Toriel had inquired about a human child, whom he did not know of. When she learned this, she decided to leave, but Error was adamant that she stay - afraid of what would happen if she learned that the Sans she spoke to wasn’t her own Sans.”

“Unfortunately, he made another mistake. He begged her to not leave and called her name. To which she replied that she had not told him her name. She did not blame him for lying, but she still needed to see her child. What Error was not expecting was for Toriel to simply…  _ phase  _ through the door.” Blue chuckled, “Actually, when he had shown me that he was surprised too. His memory can be pretty finicky sometimes. He didn’t remember at all what happened after, so the rest was as new to me as it was to him.” He sighed. 

“huh. i guess that’s a consequence to that.” Blue nodded with a small smile. He seemed to hesitate before continuing the story. 

“He was in shock, not expecting such a strange experience. To add to his mild panic attack, the universe’s Sans appeared too, like a ghost. Error was overwhelmed once again, and then… he snapped. Blue tears that took the form of strings leaked from his sockets, and he was in pain… but when Sans asked if he was the reason the universe was… well, glitching… that was the final straw. Error decided to be the bad guy they thought he was, and… attacked. I’m not sure what happened for the rest of the story… I was too scared to see the rest…” Blue was quiet for a while. 

“...blue?” 

“I told him I would still be his friend, despite everything. But he said I was lying. That my smile was fake, that I hated him… because he hurt everyone I loved. Then he - then he… he pulled out a red soul and told me that they were from  _ my  _ universe - the last soul needed to break the barrier. Then he… told me about the resets.”

“what? the resets?” Blue sighed. 

“Yes… I kind of… knew about them, but I never knew  _ who  _ was controlling it until then. He told me that… he had waited. Planned. Timed the attack on my universe perfectly so that we wouldn’t have a backup plan. I… was disappointed. Sad, about everything. And maybe I was still a bit naive about this, but I only… smiled. I was just so… tired, sorrowful… I couldn’t do more than that. Then he left, just like that, leaving me with the human soul.” 

“i see…” Blue sighed, something he has done multiple times already. 

“When he left, I suddenly started to feel… pain. My vision grew cloudy, all I heard was ringing, and just as fast as it came - it left. But it left something behind, as well. The voices Error heard… I could hear them too. They helped me a bit, helped me from going insane in the blank space, heh. They also helped me escape, in their own special way.”

“really? how?” Blue chuckled. 

“They annoyed Error into coming back to the Anti-Void from… wherever he was before. When he did, I was a pretty… sorry sight. The Anti-Void is what made Error who he was, and because he knew how painful it could be, he… well. He was still stubborn and was tempted to keep me a little longer, but eventually he… opened a portal back to my universe. I said goodbye and… that was it. He closed the portal and never spoke to me again, but Ink told me that there was a sort of ‘lock’ around my universe, with Error’s magic intertwined with it, so I suppose that whole ordeal wasn’t  _ so  _ bad.” Blue smiled at Sans, and Sans had to smile back. 

“so it all worked out in the end, right?” Blue winced a bit at that. 

“KIND OF? WHEN I GOT BACK, EVERYONE WAS STILL GONE - EVEN MY BROTHER. I WAS ABLE TO FIND THE HUMAN’S BODY AND RETURN THEIR SOUL, BUT THEY DIDN’T HAVE MUCH TIME BEFORE THEY RESET - WHICH COULDN’T HAPPEN UNTIL I FOUND MY BROTHER. SO, I WENT TO THE RIVER IN SNOWDIN AND CALLED FOR INK - AND HE APPEARED WITH MY BROTHER! WE HAD A LOT OF REUNION HUGS, BUT WHO DOESN’T LIKE HUGS!!” Sans chuckled. 

“heh, yeah. i’m guessing chara reset the universe, right? and because of the whole soul-taken-away shtick they can’t leave the underground, right?” Blue nodded. 

“THERE WAS STILL A BIT OF A GLITCH, WHICH IS TO BE EXPECTED WHEN A NEARLY DEAD UNIVERSE SUDDENLY REVIVES. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO BREAK THE BARRIER WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A SOUL, BECAUSE CHARA’S DOESN’T WORK.”

“well, that certainly explains a lot.” 

“THAT WAS ERROR, NOW IT’S DREAM AND NIGHTMARE’S TURN… I WILL BE HONEST AND TELL YOU THAT THERE ISN’T MUCH THAT INFLUENCES ME, BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT KNOWING THEIR STORY WILL HELP…”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT, PEOPLE!
> 
> Dream and Nightmare (therefore Dreamtale) belong to [Jokublog](https://jokublog.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Dream and Nightmare do have human forms now, even though Dream doesn’t have an official reference yet, however, in this story they will both still be skeletons :) Joku has stated that it was okay for them to still be portrayed as skeles, and it would flow a lot better with the plot. 
> 
> This story will follow most if not all of the canon storyline, but it mainly changes once Nightmare becomes corrupted. The story can’t stay the same because it would interfere with the rest of the plot. 
> 
> Joku is working on a comic that continues further beyond the point in time where Nightmare becomes corrupted and Dream turns to stone, following Neil’s journey. If you’d like to find out the original way this story is supposed to end, I highly recommend checking it out!

Near the beginning of the multiverse, there were only a few universes that were birthed. They held unique stories of their own, in their special little way, but one of the most tragic stories revolved around the [ Tree of Feelings ](https://www.deviantart.com/philocake/journal/Dreamtale-Canon-Facts-Latest-Update-6-18-19-769007316). (Due to the story being very long, I decided to just link the original since most of it is the same anyway. Just ignore the parts with Nightmare’s side of the story, and you’ll get it. I’ll be starting where it diverges from canon, aka when Dream and Ink fight and drift apart :))

Dream is not capable of ever hating someone, that much is evident from the fact that he still believes his brother can change - even after seeing the death and destruction he has caused. Perhaps one of the many flaws he has is this naivety? He wouldn’t be very surprised. 

What _did_ surprise him, though, was the truth about Ink. 

Dream can usually feel what others are experiencing through a slight aura surrounding them and those around. However, with Ink, it was always different. Any emotions coming from his friend was muted, like a greyed color and feeling. He had always believed that the reason why was because he had a very heavily guarded soul - he has bumped into a few people strong enough to do so, and Ink is very strong. However, he knew deep down that wasn’t the case. After all, Cross was very guarded, and yet Dream could still feel a sense of _numbness_ to him, not a sense of… _emptiness._

Dream didn’t want to confront Ink about it. He didn’t know the full story, he hardly even knew him at all, so he didn’t want to make him mad or upset. He supposed that the buildup of secrecy and suspicion is what caused him to explode at Ink like that. 

“They are _living!_ How could you not help them?! Don’t you care even a _little_?!” Dream grabbed his shoulders and shook him - Ink only blankly stared at him, and just as Dream was thinking he had forgotten the context of the conversation, he spoke.

“No. I don’t.” Dream felt his soul plunge beneath the floor. 

“Y… You…” The blank stares were unnerving, “Why…? Why don’t you care?!” 

“Because I _can’t_ care. You never noticed? _I don’t have a soul._ ” The white pupils stared into his yellow lights, unwavering. Dream let his hands fall limply from his shoulders. The white eyes had an iridescent sheen, almost like… oil in water. 

“Your paints, they…” This explained everything, “You… you never… you…” Dream, distraught, and betrayed, ran away. 

…

Dream felt guilt, worry, and slight fear of what would happen to Ink and those around him whilst he was gone. He traveled through multiple universes, most of them being mainly positive, although he had noticed a slight decrease in the amount of positivity lately, he wasn’t sure why. _Ink would know the reason, but Dream wasn’t ready to go back yet. Was he?_

He spent weeks wandering in a pitiful state, and he supposed that his negative emotions were what drew Nightmare right to him. He was trapped in a universe - one once full of peace now full of terror and despair - with no hopes of escape, and he sincerely believed that was his end. 

However, miraculously, someone intervened and brought him back to the Doodlesphere safe and sound. 

Dream wasn’t expecting Ink to save him, especially after he _left_ him, and yet there he was - smiling down at him with that mischievous grin of his. 

“Miss me?” Ink had said - and _stars_ if that wasn’t right. Dream didn’t care about anything at that moment, he was exhausted and drained from that battle, so he collapsed into Ink’s open arms and broke down. 

Ink awkwardly rubbed his back, obviously unsure of what to do. That made Dream chuckle through his tears. Everything made _so_ much sense now. 

Dream still didn’t believe in Ink’s morals, believing that the people are far more important than the AUs they live in. No, but he still didn’t want to leave him. He didn’t want to be alone again. So, he came to a decision. 

If Ink wouldn’t help the people, then Dream will. They could still be a team, and perhaps this way, they can work a little better. Ink has always fought better alone, and Dream’s priority in a battle was always the bystanders… he knew they could work it out. 

And they did. They worked better than ever, both having their priorities straight, and both of their stories explained in full. He knew more about Ink than he knew of anything else, even his brother. They still had a few bumps in the road… one of them being Dream’s fault entirely. Dream was still very naive, even after he had matured, but it wasn’t like he could help it with his role in the multiverse. However, he still thought everyone should have a second chance, so sometimes he would interfere with Ink’s battles, and, well, he deserved that bout of rare genuine anger from the artist. 

After all, that decision to try and prevent serious damage on Error resulted in that universe falling, along with the other beings he didn’t reach in time. It had brought Ink and the rescued pain, and since then, he knew better than to _ever_ interfere, no matter how terrible it felt. _He never wanted to feel that despair again._

He changed, ever since then. Not quite so naive, but it resulted in him being too cautious. He couldn’t make decisions as quickly as he did before - now he had to think. It was a good improvement in some situations, and a deadly one in others. He supposed he had a lot to learn, but at least he wasn’t alone. 

Ink was trying to change, too. He never admitted it or anything, but Dream can see the difference. The way Ink was a bit more careful about stray attacks, the way he tried to stop himself from flying into a crowd, the way he always led Error _away_ from the evacuation zone... He knew that Ink still couldn’t care less about the living, but Dream hoped that, maybe, that was showing that Ink still had the slightest feelings - either from his paints, or a memory of his previous soul. 

…

Lately, Ink has been acting strange. Well, strang _er._

Sometimes Dream would wake up to Ink just… staring at him. Unmoving, with not a speck of recognition in his lights. Dream has had to physically shake him for him to wake up, and when he did he would laugh it off and say it was just him sleepwalking. Dream would have believed it if he hadn’t spent years in the same house as Ink. He had never once ‘slept walked’, and sleepwalkers don’t stare at others like that. 

Another strange thing was the way Ink would disappear for hours at a time, not telling _anyone_ where he is. Although, recently Dream has checked in with one of their neutral allies in this messed-up war, and found Ink leaving the Sci’s lab. Ink was surprised and quickly hid something behind his back (Dream didn’t know what, and Ink was stubborn when it came to secrets), only prompting more worry. 

Even Error was starting to become uneasy, and in one of the rarest moments of serenity, he told Dream about something he saw. 

“ **The rainbow asshole is planning something. I don’t like it. He’s talking to someone, like I do, except… I can’t see them. They aren’t… like** **_my_ ** **voices. I** **_hate_ ** **it, what the hell is he hiding?!** ” Dream then had to run as Error exploded into curses and strings, trapping everything near him. That universe was, unfortunately, long gone. 

Ink was hiding something, anyone who knew him could tell. The fact that it started to attract Error’s and Nightmare’s gang’s attention, though? Well, it’s becoming worrisome. 

…

  
  


Dream woke up one day to a sudden chill. What was strange was the fact that he felt _cold._ The Doodlesphere has always been at _least_ room temperature but never dipping lower than the 70s. Dream sat up and focused on his ability, searching for anything that could hint towards an unknown entity invading - however, all he found was… Ink, except… not really? It was certainly Ink - the hollow mangled mess of positive and negative feelings was a pretty good indicator, but it was also… different? The feelings were dull, and also felt more… _genuine_ than usual. 

He slipped out of his warm bed and shivered as the cold grew closer to freezing. He shuffled out into the hallway and looked to the staircase leading to the first floor and found him standing at the top. 

Ink started to walk down, not quite blankly but still eerily. Dream rushed to him and grabbed him, trying to shake him out of the trance, to no avail. Ink only slipped through Dream - literally - and continued down his path. He moved as though ghostly hands were guiding him through a pitch-black maze until he began going straight to an AU. Dream hurriedly followed after him, worried out of his mind, and came across Undertale. 

Ink blinked and his lights turned from white to the normal swirls of shapes and colors. He looked confused and disoriented, so Dream grabbed his arm to lead him back - until he noticed something different. 

The door leading to the original universe was still there, not a single scratch on it. What Dream noticed was the fact that… other islands holding the other universes were drifting closer. 

He held Ink tighter at the realization. He could see about ten universes a _lot_ closer than they were the week before, and there’s no doubt that more would start to gravitate too. 

Ink hummed with curiosity. It seems like he didn’t notice either. Ink’s expression was as carefree as always, but his emotions dipped more towards caution and confusion. 

In the end, Ink went back to his house, and Dream reluctantly followed. 

~

Blue was reserved, more so than he usually is. It was obvious the conversation was taking a toll on his mental and emotional health, but he had done what he could. He didn’t want to affect his emotions too much, lest there be consequences and hatred. 

Every word Blue spoke, he remembered. The bad memories, the good memories… the sad memories. Dream felt awful for dragging Sans into this complex game, but he knew there was no other option. Not when so many things were happening at once, not when so many lives were in danger. He stayed for just a bit longer, before turning back to the small, unnoticeable portal. He needed to make sure Sans’ brother was still untouched - Nightmare has taken an interest in him lately. 

~

“Are you really going to allow this?” Dream fiddled with his cape, nervous about what his friend was planning. 

“Sure. Why shouldn’t I? Makes my job easier.” Ink chirped. Dream warily looked at him. 

“But… all of these universes in one place… makes it easier for others too.” Ink’s sockets narrowed as a shadow fell over his lights.

“It doesn’t matter what we do. They’ll attack this universe anyway. At least this way they can all protect each other. Don’t worry, we’ll deal with them when the time comes. For now, let’s take a break, shall we? Dream?” Ink smiles brightly once more with an excited look. Dream huffed and returned it, already having a feeling it will either end in being chased across universes by one of their many enemies, or utter chaos. 

Well, Dream is in there for the long run - no matter what happens to either of them. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


* **C… hea… me…?**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


* **Ca… yo… hear… me...?**

  
  
  
  
  
  


* **Hel… lo…?**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


*A distant voice calls out to you. 

Answer?

♡ *Yes 

*No

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


* **Um… Hello? Can you hear me?**

  
  
  


* **Well, I’m guessing** **_someone_ ** **did, since ya answered!**

  
  


* **...Not much of a talker, are you? That’s fine, I can do the talking for us!**

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to chat or ask me about this multiverse, you can contact me on my Tumblr!
> 
> https://kirininobu.tumblr.com/


End file.
